Dentist Lifestyle

Hi! I'm Larry Pendergrast, Lead Coordinator of Dentist Lifestyle. We're an organization of bloggers who are fascinated by the field of dentistry and the particulars of dentists' lifestyles. We are not dentists ourselves, we're more like fans of dentists and enthusiasts of dentistry.

Need a Family Dentist? Find One with These 6 Tips

Americans are known around the planet for caring about how their teeth look. More than 99.7% say that they think a good looking smile makes a big difference in improving a person’s social life. About three-quarters of all people in the United States think a bad looking smile can hurt a person’s career. At least 96% of people think that a good looking smile is important for romantic relationships. If you are looking for a new family dentist, there are ways to make that search easier.

Talk to your friends and family. The best way to find quality goods and services is to get a personal recommendation. Ask your friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors and everyone else you know. The best thing is when two or more people recommend the same family dentist without talking to each other about it in advance. If people who do not even know each other recommend the same person, that is a good sign. You may not end up using the family dentists who are recommended by your contacts but this can still get you started with a list of people to contact. Ask them how they found their family dentist.

Look online. Do a google search for family dental offices in your area. Look at Yelp and Angie’s List. Often localities, towns and cities have Facebook pages and groups that are devoted to promoting local goods and services. Check those. Even if no one has posted about the subject of family dentists, you can always post the question. If you have the names of some local dental offices, look those up online. They may have testimonials that you can check on their website. Be wary of any negative reviews that are posted anonymously. People are much more likely to complain than to compliment so take the bad reviews with a grain of salt.

Talk to your insurance carrier. Call your dental insurance carrier. They probably have a list of local dentists who are in your network. You will want to see a dentist who is in the network because most of the care you will receive at those offices will be covered by your plan. They may have other information on the family dentists who are in the network that can help you select one. You may be able to see another dentist who is not on their list but you will have to pay for the services out of pocket and then submit forms to be reimbursed. Many family dental offices will help you with the paperwork if you need it.

Talk to your primary care doctor. If you have a primary care physician, and everyone should have a regular doctor they see, you can ask them for recommendations. The primary care doctor is a much better resource than most people realize. Your dental health is closely linked to your overall health so you should also keep your doctor aware of any major dental work that you have to have done or any big problems that you are experiences. It is very easy for an infection in your mouth to travel to other parts of your body and can end up being very dangerous.

Talk to local family dentists about financing. You may need dental procedures that are not covered by your insurance. People go into dentistry to help other people and most offices will work with patients so they can get the dental care they need to stay healthy. There are never any guarantees but you can at least ask the dental office staff what their billing and financing policies are.

Talk to the dental office. If the reason you do not have a family dentist is that you are scared to go, you should talk to the dental offices about your fears. They know people do not like to go to the dentist. They also know that many people do not go because they are afraid. They will work with you on your fears and can help.

Going for regular dental check ups is the best way to keep your smile looking great. These tips will help you find a good dentist to help with that.